az_eaglescout_pilot

iTrader: (1)

My engine grenaded about a month ago, blew 4 rods and two holes (and almost another) in the block. I had a warranty on the engine however they couldn't figure from their analysis why it hydrolocked. So it was not covered by their warranty. Well i pick up a freshly rebuilt engine tomorrow but the shop says that there are a few things i need to check before installing this one.

It happened instantly, there was no indication that anything was wrong when it happened. engine was at about 2k rpm climbing a grade out of my driveway.

So the shop said that i need to go through my entire cooling system as well as look at the fuel injection system but im having a hard time seeing how these would have contributed. They told me an injector may have gotten stuck open and filled a cylinder or that coolant got in there somehow. wouldn't it take a whole lot liquid to do the damage it did? Where else could the coolant get in besides the head gasket?

Has anyone ever seen something like this. I have only ever messed in the mud once with this truck and i kept it very tame because I hate the after effects of mud but that was 9 months ago, if I really did suck in water wouldn't it have happened there?

TIA for your ideas. Need to get this thing back up and running before school starts.

thook

An injector seized open doesn't sound right. Yeah, it'd take a lot of gasoline. Even a gradual situation you'd notice a running problem. As well, I don't see any signs of coolant in the engine from your pics. Did you see any?

Oil pump stop working/clogged filter, maybe... and main bearing seized?

az_eaglescout_pilot

iTrader: (1)

There were a couple of spots where coolant was leaking from the head gasket and freeze plugs but the shop didn't say anything about it leaking on the inside. I wasn't allowed to tear down the engine because it would've voided the warranty, I'm going up tomorrow to pick up my new one and hopefully they'll have all the old parts so I can inspect them myself. My oil pressure was normal. The shop would've covered it if the main bearing seized I would assume since I did get a long block rebuilt by them.

oldblue

yeah, that sounds kind of fishy. i REALLY doubt an injector that stuck wide ass open could flow enough fuel to bend a rod, let alone the fact that 4 of them would simultaniously fail and do this. i doubt coolant is the culprit, you'd have to have one major damn gasket failure to dump enough coolant in to bend some rods. i would also think you would have had some warning signs. and again, since 4 rods are bent this would mean that both head gaskets would have to have failed at the same exact time. i would kindly demand to see all the parts, crank, rods, pistions, bearings, block, everything. even the oil filter for that matter. this sounds like a lubrication failure to me.

scope103

It only takes about 1 tablespoon of fluid for a hydrolock; water (gasoline, sewage) is completely incompressible at the forces necessary to break a rod.

I would expect the headgasket to go before it could develop enough pressure to bend a rod, but at those pressures all bets are off.

You should consider dropping a few bucks to talk to an attorney. "... however they couldn't figure from their analysis why it hydrolocked. So it was not covered by their warranty." If that is really their position, their warranty is worse than worthless. The BEST situation for a warranty claim is when the builder can't figure out why their product failed. (But I haven't read your documents or heard what your builder says, so take any such advice with a lot of grains of salt ....)

az_eaglescout_pilot

iTrader: (1)

will one cylinder with fluid cause the rest to go all at the same instant? Luckily for me (and the main i reason i went to this shop) the owner is an old high school friend of my Dads so I dont have to pay for the new engine. i think the official verdict from them was that the fluid came from either the intake or injector which was out of the their scope on my particular project. so basically the warranty covered the heads, block, and all internals.

i should note that im not discrediting the shop, the owner is a great guy and knows his engines, he has had his own shop for 25 years and worked in the field more than that (was in the desert racing scene beginning in highschool)

scope103

If you break a rod by hydrolocking one cylinder, where does that rod go? Lots of big chunks of steel flying around at 2000 rpm in a small space.

So I would expect it to "grenade" the crankcase just like you saw.

But if you are on good terms with the owner, just put your questions to him. He'll definitely know more about what happened than I could.

az_eaglescout_pilot

iTrader: (1)

Touché scope. i just figured that the rod that went first would've been bounced down into the oil pan and not bounce out but the forces inside a motor are nuts so i guess all my bets should be off.

im a fan of getting multiple opinions so i ask my questions to everyone haha. he will be getting a barrage of questions tomorrow.

as far as how/where the fluid got in the engine: coolant can only get in 3 different ways correct? a leak in upper intake plenum? water jacket? and head gasket?

im going to send off all my injectors for testing and cleaning (including the cold start) and i guess if they all test good i start tearing into the wiring for the injection system?

thook

One tablespoon is all it takes, huh? Wow! I guess I've been lucky all these years.

Punchy

The throttle body has coolent going through it for the cold engine idle up.
This has been know to go bad and leak.
You may have one that when it gets hot it leaks alot under the cooling system pressure.

Just a thought.